Lancaster vs Newcastle upon Tyne: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £25,000 (16%) more in Newcastle upon Tyne than in Lancaster. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Newcastle upon Tyne: it takes 5.2× median annual pay, against 4.6× in Lancaster.
At a glance
| Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Fairly affordable | Very expensive |
| Recorded crime | About average | Above average |
Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say
Median full-time pay in Newcastle upon Tyne (£35,446) is 2% higher than in Lancaster (£34,890), while a typical terraced house costs 16% more (£185,000 against £160,000). Set against local pay, Lancaster is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 4.6× annual pay in Lancaster and 5.2× in Newcastle upon Tyne. Renting one takes 29% of pay in Lancaster and 44% in Newcastle upon Tyne. Both are harder in Newcastle upon Tyne, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Lancaster is the 50th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 53rd least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Lancaster is the 91st least expensive of 316 areas and Newcastle upon Tyne is the 70th most expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Lancaster would need about £46,500 in Newcastle upon Tyne to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £62,000 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to Newcastle upon Tyne would leave you worse placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 72.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lancaster and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 47% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 3.1 per 1,000 in Lancaster against 5.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £34,890 | £35,446 |
| House price ÷ pay | 4.6× | 5.2× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 109% | 96% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 29% | 44% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £357,500 | £357,000 | -0% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £220,000 | £215,000 | -2% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £160,000 | £185,000 | +16% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £120,000 | £155,000 | +29% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,165 | £1,697 | +46% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Semi-detached | £895 | £1,263 | +41% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Terraced | £835 | £1,293 | +55% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Flat | £698 | £993 | +42% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Crime
Police recorded 72.9 crimes per 1,000 residents in Lancaster and 107.4 in Newcastle upon Tyne, so recorded crime per resident is 47% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 72.9 | 107.4 | +47% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Violence against the person | 29.7 | 36.6 | +23% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Sexual offences | 3.2 | 4.5 | +42% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Robbery | 0.6 | 2.3 | +275% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 7.0 | 9.0 | +28% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Vehicle offences | 3.1 | 5.9 | +91% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Theft from the person | 0.3 | 1.4 | +342% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Criminal damage and arson | 8.9 | 10.3 | +17% in Newcastle upon Tyne |
Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.
How prices have changed in each area
Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.
Show the figures
| Year | Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 107 | 108 |
| 2007 | 117 | 115 |
| 2008 | 115 | 110 |
| 2009 | 103 | 99 |
| 2010 | 108 | 103 |
| 2011 | 103 | 98 |
| 2012 | 107 | 98 |
| 2013 | 106 | 98 |
| 2014 | 109 | 101 |
| 2015 | 112 | 108 |
| 2016 | 115 | 111 |
| 2017 | 118 | 112 |
| 2018 | 120 | 114 |
| 2019 | 123 | 114 |
| 2020 | 126 | 115 |
| 2021 | 140 | 123 |
| 2022 | 154 | 132 |
| 2023 | 161 | 134 |
| 2024 | 163 | 137 |
| 2025 | 163 | 145 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 166 | 148 |
In 2005 the average home cost £119,263 in Lancaster and £138,227 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £197,398 and £204,282: Lancaster is up 66% and Newcastle upon Tyne is up 48%. Prices have risen faster in Lancaster, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5.4 years of pay | 6.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.1 years of pay | 6.4 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.0 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | – | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 5.6 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 5.4 years of pay in Lancaster and 6.6 years in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2025 it was 5.6 years and 5.6 years.
Affordability has worsened more in Lancaster over that time.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Lancaster | Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 101 | 106 |
| 2017 | 102 | 113 |
| 2018 | 103 | 112 |
| 2019 | 105 | 113 |
| 2020 | 106 | 117 |
| 2021 | 108 | 123 |
| 2022 | 111 | 127 |
| 2023 | 115 | 137 |
| 2024 | 122 | 143 |
| 2025 | 132 | 160 |
| August 2026 | 142 | 176 |
In 2015 the average rent was £580 a month in Lancaster and £690 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now it is £823 and £1,215: up 42% in Lancaster and up 76% in Newcastle upon Tyne. Rents have risen faster in Newcastle upon Tyne.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Lancaster to Newcastle upon Tyne
| Earning in Lancaster | Equivalent to buy in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to rent in Newcastle upon Tyne |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £34,500 | £46,500 |
| £40,000 | £46,500 | £62,000 |
| £50,000 | £58,000 | £77,500 |
| £60,000 | £69,500 | £93,000 |
Moving from Newcastle upon Tyne to Lancaster
| Earning in Newcastle upon Tyne | Equivalent to buy in Lancaster | Equivalent to rent in Lancaster |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £26,000 | £19,500 |
| £40,000 | £34,500 | £26,000 |
| £50,000 | £43,000 | £32,500 |
| £60,000 | £52,000 | £38,500 |